3.5 lakh plantation workers still receive only ₹2 per day as DA
According to the reply, there were 87 sections of workers included in the Minimum Wages Act, and only the plantation sector workers were receiving inadequate DA. The plantation workers are supposed to receive ₹87.40 per day as DA. 'However, now the plantation workers are receiving only ₹2 per day as DA whereas the average DA for the other 86 sectors is ₹87.40 per day,' said Mr. Ibrahim. 'For the past 50 years, the DA has not increased for the plantation sector,' he added.
To President
According to officials, the 3.5 lakh permanent workers from tea, coffee, cardamom, and rubber plantations are part of the plantation sector. 'We submitted a memorandum to the President of India demanding action to increase the DA, who then directed the State government to take steps for this. Based on the direction, the Labour Commissioner as well as the Minimum Wages Advisory Board recommended to raise the DA. However, the Plantation Labour Committee (PLC) meeting on May 15, 2024, decided against this,' he said.
'The PLC is not a statutory committee to make such a decision,' added Mr. Ibrahim.
According to workers, the PLC is the final body to make a decision regarding the DA for the plantation sector. 'Representatives of government, Labour Commissioners, trade union leaders, and plantation owners were included in the PLC committee. However, even the trade unions did not advocate for DA raise for the plantation workers,' he said.
Price index
Sources said that the Economics and Statistics department calculates the DA for plantation workers using a price index. The documents secured from the State Statistics department showed that the basic point based on which the plantation workers' DA is calculated increased from 400 to 3,659 points in the past three decades. However, this was not reflected in the DA, according to sources.
High Range Plantation Employees Union (INTUC) president Cyriac Thomas said that in every meeting, the INTUC demanded for a DA raise for the plantation workers in the State. 'We will continue the demand in the next PLC meeting as well,' said Mr. Thomas.
The plantation workers are planning to move the Kerala High Court regarding the issue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
Ola, Uber fares may rise as Centre allows cab aggregators to charge two times of base fare during peak hours
The fares of online cab aggregators, like Uber, Ola and Rapido, may see a hike as the government has allowed the companies to charge up to two times of the base fare during the peak hours. Earlier, the vehicle aggregators could charge 1.5 times the base fare as surge price or dynamic fare during peak hours. In a revised Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines, 2025, released Tuesday, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said that during non-peak hours, the aggregators can charge a minimum of 50 per cent of the base fare. The fare notified by the state government for the respective category or class of motor vehicles shall be the base fare chargeable to passengers availing services from the aggregator. The states have been advised to adopt the revised guidelines within three months. 'The base fare chargeable shall be for a minimum of three kilometers to compensate for dead mileage including the distance travelled without a passenger and the distance travelled and fuel utilized for picking up the passenger,' the guidelines read. According to the guidelines, no passenger can be charged for dead mileage except when the distance for availing the ride is less than three kilometres and the fare shall be charged only from the point of origin of the journey to the point of destination where the passenger is dropped off. It further stated that the driver onboard, along with the motor vehicle with the aggregator, shall receive at least 80 per cent of the fare applicable, including all cost under driver's fare and the remaining charges may be retained as the apportioned fare by the aggregator. The payment may be settled daily, weekly or fortnightly but not later as per the agreement between the driver and the aggregator. 'With respect to motor vehicles owned by the aggregator the on-boarded driver shall receive at least 60% of the fare applicable, including all costs specified in Driver Fare and the remaining charges shall be retained as the Apportioned Fare,' the revised guidelines stated. On cancellation, it says that if a ride is cancelled by the driver after accepting the journey, in that case, a penalty of 10 per cent of the fare, not exceeding Rs 100, shall be imposed where such cancellation is made without a valid reason. Similarly, if a passenger cancels the ride without valid reason, a penalty of 10 per cent of the fare, not exceeding Rs 100, will be imposed. The Ministry added that the new guidelines, which is a revised version of its 2020 order, is an attempt to provide light-touch regulatory system while attending to issues of safety and security of the user and welfare of the driver. Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
India.com
13 hours ago
- India.com
Will DA Be Increased To 58%? Last DA Hike Announcement Under 7th Pay Commission For Govt Employees Expected To Be A Better One
photoDetails english 2925153 Updated:Jul 02, 2025, 08:43 AM IST Last DA, DR Hike Under 7th Pay Commission 1 / 8 The AICPI-IW Figures for May 2025 released by Labour Beaureau recently has once again grabbed attention on the expected Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) hike for lakhs of govt employees and pensioners which is due for July-December 2025. May 2025 AICPI-IW Figures Hint At DA Updates Ahead Of 8th Pay Commission 2 / 8 As per the data published by Labour Bureau, attached office of the M/o Labour & Employment the All-India CPI-IW for May 2025 increased by 0.5 point and stood 144.0 (one hundred forty four). Year-on-year inflation for the month of May 2025 stood at 2.93% as compared to 3.86% in May, 2024. The Bureau has been compiling Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers every month on the basis of retail prices collected from 317 markets spread over 88 industrially important centres in the country. May 2025 AICPI-IW Figures Vs April, March Data 3 / 8 The rise in May 2025 AICPI-IW Figures comes after rise in the last two months of the CPI-IW. March 2025, the All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW) stood at 143.0, representing a 0.2-point increase from the previous month. Year-on-year inflation for the month of March, 2025 stood at 2.95% as compared to 4.20% in March, 2024. The All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW) stood at 143.5 in April. Year-on-year inflation for the month of April, 2025 stood at 2.94% as compared to 3.87% in April, 2024, according to the Labour Bureau. Will The Last Dearness Allowance Hike Under 7th Pay Commission Be Bigger Than Last Time? 4 / 8 This increase of figures in the last three months AICPI-IW --March, April and May – hint towards expected DA, DR for central government employees and pensioners at around 58.08 percent. On the basis of the figure, media reports have calculated a hike of 3% hike from July 2025. DA will be thus likely be pushed from current 55 percent to 58 percent, ahead of the implementation the 8th Pay Commission from January 2026. July-December 2025 DA Hike Predictions 5 / 8 These are however just early DA, DR hike predictions. It all depends on the AICPI-IW figures for the next month i.e for June 2025, to arrive at a concrete conclusion on DA hike for central government employees and pensioners. DA Hiked To 55 Percent For Jan-June 2025 6 / 8 Much to market expectations, the Union Cabinet led by PM Narendra Modi on March 28 announced the much awaited Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief Hike for lakhs of central government employees. The Modi government announced hike in the dearness allowance by 2 percent, thus taking the DA from 53 percent to 55 percent. 7th Pay Commission DA Hike: How Much Salary Increased Last Time? 7 / 8 The basic salary of the employee is Rs 18,000 Dearness Allowance Hiked To 55 Percent: Pay increase of Rs 360 more per month New Dearness Allowance Annually: Rs 4,320 DA Hike Twice A Calendar Year 8 / 8 Dearness Allowance (DA) hikes are based on the average All India Consumer Price Index (CPI-IW) for industrial workers, which reflects changes in the cost of living. The government announces a DA/DR hike twice a year. However, the announcements are made in March and September. The hike is applied retroactively every year between January and July.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
Bhim powers up; Privacy hit for RTI
Bhim powers up; Privacy hit for RTI Also in the letter: Bhim gets big boost as NPCI scales up incentives, offers Driving the news: Behind the push: Bring users back to the Bhim ecosystem and drive usage across services. Help banks enable UPI through their net banking and mobile apps. Boost Bhim-powered in-app payments for online merchants. Larger impact: With PhonePe and Google Pay still accounting for nearly 85% of all UPI transactions, NPCI is keen to tip the balance by helping banks and smaller players grow their UPI volumes. In this context, Bhim is more than just an app; it's a strategic lever for diversifying the UPI landscape and bringing banks back into the payments game. UPI sees marginal dip in June transactions, value down 4% Numberwise: UPI processed 18.40 billion transactions last month, a slight decrease from 18.68 billion in May. The total value declined 4% to Rs 24.04 lakh crore from Rs 25.14 lakh crore, according to NPCI data. Behind the dip? Also Read: Privacy bill could be sent to AG for assessing RTI impact Quick recap: Pretext of privacy? Centre's stance: Sponsor ETtech Top 5 & Morning Dispatch! Why it matters: The opportunity: Reach a highly engaged audience of decision-makers. Boost your brand's visibility among the tech-savvy community. Custom sponsorship options to align with your brand's goals. What's next: Centre advises permitting bike taxis; states to take final call Driving the news: Yes, but: Industry response: Also Read: Karnataka outlines welfare norms for gig workers: Govt eyes August-September start to electronic parts PLI approvals Tell me more: A project management agency is expected to be appointed within a month to screen nearly 100 applications. Approvals will follow soon after. The scheme aims to attract an investment of Rs 59,350 crore, build capacity worth Rs 4.56 lakh crore, and generate around 91,600 direct jobs. Catch up: The Union Cabinet cleared the Rs 22,919-crore PLI scheme on March 28. Applicants include both established players and new entrants to the market. As we reported earlier, Dixon, Tata Electronics, Zetwerk and Foxconn are among those planning investments. Quote, unquote: Other Top Stories By Our Reporters X wants IT Act provision backing takedown orders gone: CIMware bags $2.3 million in maiden institutional fundraise: Zango AI nabs fresh funds: Global Picks We Are Reading Happy Wednesday! Users are returning to the payments app Bhim, attracted by cashbacks and incentives. This and more in today's ETtech Morning Dispatch.■ Bike taxis' new champion■ Electronic parts PLI■ X bemoans blocksThe National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)-run consumer payment app Bhim is making a comeback , offering cashbacks and incentives to attract users again, and early signs indicate it's has more than doubled its monthly transactions, from 33 million in January 2025 to around 75 million now. NPCI has established a new subsidiary, NBSL (NPCI Bhim Services Limited), and is backing it with a substantial marketing budget of Rs 150-200 crore this financial year to rekindle user interest in the government-backed to sources, the key objectives are clear:NPCI's renewed focus on Bhim signals a fresh ambition to strengthen its consumer-facing Unified Payments Interface (UPI), operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), experienced a marginal decline in both transaction volume and value in factors, such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), which boosted UPI transaction volumes in May, weren't present in June, industry executives observed. Nonetheless, volume growth on an annual basis remains robust and is expected to also experienced several service disruptions recently , impacting users of Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, and banking digital privacy and the right to information in conflict?To settle the matter, the Centre will refer the proposed Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act to Attorney General R Venkataramani for his legal opinion on whether the new law conflicts with the Right to Information (RTI) DPDP Act empowers citizens to have greater control over their personal data. It was passed in August 2023 but has not been enforced yet, as the government is still finalising its Rules after seeking public feedback in including civil society groups and the opposition, argue that the Act weakens the RTI law. Specifically, it removes a clause that permitted the disclosure of personal data if it served the public interest and did not unjustifiably invade privacy. They fear this could reduce transparency and shield governments from officials maintain the Act remains a priority. One of them said, 'The government's view is that the DPDP Act doesn't dilute the RTI Act,' one of these officials Top 5 and Morning Dispatch are must-reads for India's tech and business leaders, including startup founders, investors, policy makers, industry insiders and Reach out to us at spotlightpartner@ to explore sponsorship a boost for bike taxi operators such as Rapido, Uber, and Ola, the Centre has issued an advisory permitting the use of private two-wheelers for shared mobility Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued updated aggregator guidelines, suggesting that states allow non-commercial bikes to operate as bike implementation depends on individual states, which retain the final platforms welcomed the move but said swift and consistent adoption across states is essential for regulatory clarity and business the Karnataka government has released draft rules aimed at improving gig worker welfare. The state has formed two working groups to suggest platform levies, technological improvements, and welfare and stakeholders have one month to submit feedback on the government is likely to begin approving applications under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for electronic components by August-September, a senior official told us.'The scheme will have the most impact on components that can be assembled or manufactured in India, such as batteries, camera modules, display modules and others, which make up a significant chunk of device costs,' said Neil Shah of Counterpoint Musk's X has urged the Karnataka High Court to declare the Information Technology Act rule that permits the government to block posts as unconstitutional and exceeding the original scope of the data centre infrastructure startup will use the funds for hardware production, hiring a software team, and covering operational costs, said CEO Rajiv regulatory tech startup has raised $4.8 million in a funding round led by Nexus Venture Partners to expand its teams in Bengaluru and London and develop additional product modules for AI-native governance, risk, and compliance solutions.■ Tech giants play musical chairs with foundation models ( Axios ■ Chinese students are using AI to beat AI detectors ( Rest of World ■ Sam Altman slams Meta's AI talent poaching spree: 'Missionaries will beat mercenaries' ( Wired
